There is a Chinese restaurant down the street from where I live. I was thinking about trying some of their food, but have never eaten chinese food before and not sure what would be good. What kind of chinese food do you like?
Mainly right now they are just doing take out
In grad school and when I worked in science, I know MANY Chinese people. Some studying here and some working here. And here's what they conveyed to me.....
+ What we call "Chinese Food" rarely is. It MAY be "inspired" by some Chinese dish but.... OCCASIONALLY something on the menu reminds them of something they might be served in China but that's about as close as it gets. Indeed, much of what is served in Chinese restaurants is California food - invented and promoted in California. Also, Hong Kong is the source of some of what we think of, too.... food designed for the English.
+ There is no such thing as "Chinese food." While a few things (like rice) are consumed by MOST (but not all) Chinese, it depends on WHERE you are. Foods vary a LOT from location to location. There ARE some Chinese restaurants that clearly identify with a specific area and those are the ones more likely to be a bit authentic.
Biggest clue: Sugar. "Chinese food" in the US especially is LOADED with sugar. In China, almost nothing has any sugar in it at all. Most can't afford it and most Chinese don't like sweets. But Chinese cooks in the USA learned that Americans LOVE sugar. If the dish is sweet, it ain't Chinese.
All that said, I like this type of California food! The sweet stuff, too! Oh, and those fortune cookies (which are actually Japanese, but the "fortune" part is pure California).
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